How do you say 'green' in Mandarin?

Ramon Alvarez and Denice Fladeboe at the new EcoCentre store in Irvine. Fladeboe owns the first EcoCentre in the U.S. Her store sells Chinese-made Electric vehicles. Alvarez helped open the store. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

The sign for the EcoCentre is, predictably, green.

It glows from the side of the Fladeboe complex near a heavily trafficked stretch of I-405, beckoning drivers to the building that proclaims it's "where the future starts."

If the future of vehicles is indeed electric, as many industry insiders believe, it almost certainly will involve some electric vehicles designed and built by the Chinese.

At least that's what Ramon Alvarez is betting with his new EcoCentre dealership franchise, the first of which opened in Irvine in November. The EcoCentre deals only in electric vehicles, mostly from Wuling Motors, a Chinese-based automaker (it's partly owned by General Motors) that produces 1.2 million vehicles a year.

Alvarez, 52, is the exclusive North and South American distributor for three of Wuling's electric vehicles, including a minicar, a minivan and a pickup truck, all of which are classified as Neighborhood Electric Vehicles. All are speed-restricted to 25 mph and don't include some safety equipment found on cars and trucks. Alvarez also sells an electric motorcycle from a different Chinese manufacturer that can travel up to 60 mph. Each of the four vehicles can travel about 40 miles per charge and refuels with an extension cord and a standard 110-volt outlet.

The Eco-E minicar will retail for $9,995, the Eco-Cycle for $8,995, the Eco-Truck for $16,995 and Eco-Van for $17,995. All of them are eligible for various government incentives. Alvarez plans to add two more cars to his lineup next year.

Alvarez has been an auto dealer for more than 30 years. He owns the Riverside dealership Alvarez Lincoln and Jaguar. Three years ago, he took to heart Nissan's prediction that electric vehicles would be part of the automotive mainstream and began investigating his options.

"Anybody can sell a car. We're giving our dealers the capability of saying, 'I'm an environmental dealer,'" said Alvarez, who is signing up existing dealerships for his EcoCentre franchises.

Fifty-one-year-old Fladeboe Automotive Group, in Irvine, sells vehicles from Honda, Volkswagen, General Motors and Coda, but in November it cleared a building to house the first EcoCentre, which is now stocked with brightly colored Eco-E vehicles and other Wuling products. A row of white Eco-Vans and Eco-Trucks is parked just outside the double glass doors.

"Our location is the perfect storm for these types of vehicles," said Denice Fladeboe Mock, president of Fladeboe Automotive Group, which is Alvarez's first EcoCentre in the country. "We're surrounded by retirement communities, schools, hospitals and golf courses. That's who I intend to market the cars to."

About one-third of car drivers never take their vehicles on the freeway. EcoCentre is targeting these drivers, as well as households that own other gas-powered vehicles, with low-speed, low-cost electric vehicles intended for short errands.

"Golf courses need small vehicles to get around ... Hotels need to shuttle people or food. These vehicles are perfect for that because they're small," said Fladeboe, who is loaning test vehicles to students at UC Irvine and hosting events at the Laguna Woods retirement community as a sales strategy.

"I'm not into traditional advertising with this car because it's not a traditional car," Fladeboe said.

So far, the EcoCentre has sold Wuling electric vehicles in Riverside as fleet vehicles to city government and to UC Riverside. About a half dozen have been purchased by retail customers.

There's little hesitation among Americans to buy toys, appliances, even seafood imported from China. But it remains to be seen whether they will buy into Chinese cars. The EcoCentre is the first dealership franchise in the country to center a business around Chinese electric vehicles, Alvarez said.

Alvarez has been to China five times this year. During his most recent trip he personally checked every vehicle on its way to his franchises, the idea being that he would ensure that quality meets the expectations of Neighborhood Electric Vehicle buyers.

In late November, Alvarez signed up his second EcoCentre at another existing dealership: Jack Ellis Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Glendale. Singh Chevrolet in Riverside will be next. Alvarez said he plans to have 18 dealerships up and running throughout the state by the end of next year before expanding to Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Florida.

Ramon Alvarez and Denice Fladeboe at the new EcoCentre store in Irvine. Fladeboe owns the first EcoCentre in the U.S. Her store sells Chinese-made Electric vehicles. Alvarez helped open the store. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The EcoCentre deals only in electric vehicles, mostly from Wuling Motors, a Chinese-based automaker (it's partly owned by General Motors) that produces 1.2 million vehicles a year. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The EcoCentre store in Irvine is offering the EcoTruck, the EcoVan and the Eco-E minicar. The low-speed electric vehicles are produced in China by Wuling Motors Co. They range in price from $9,995 for the Eco-E to $17,995 for the EcoVan. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The EcoCentre store in Irvine is offering the EcoTruck, the EcoVan and the Eco-E minicar. The low-speed electric vehicles are produced in China by Wuling Motors Co. They range in price from $9,995 for the EcoE to 17,995 for the EcoVan. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Ramon Alvarez and Denice Fladeboe at the new EcoCentre store in Irvine. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The EcoCentre store in Irvine is offering the EcoTruck, the EcoVan and the Eco-E minicar. The low-speed electric vehicles are produced in China by Wuling Motors Co. They range in price from $9,995 for the Eco-E to 17,995 for the EcoVan. ROSE PALMISANO, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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